Chapter 12 - What My Father HidThe first page of the ledger contained a statement.
My father had written it.
I read it slowly.
Edward is not my only son.
I stopped breathing.
Rosa covered her mouth.
Harold whispered:
"No."
Another page.
There was a name.
Thomas.
My uncle.
And beside it:
Thomas is my firstborn.
My mind refused to process it.
My father had lied.
My uncle wasn't his younger brother.
He was his son.
My grandfather had hidden the truth.
And my entire family history had been built around a secret child.
I turned pages.
My father had discovered that Thomas was involved in the secret banking network.
He tried to expose him.
Thomas retaliated.
The family fractured.
My father hid the money.
He hid the records.
Then he created a plan.
A final inheritance.
Not for one child.
For two.
Me.
And Emily.
The fortune would pass to both of us only if the hidden ledger was recovered.
That was why everyone wanted it.
Not because it held money.
Because it controlled the inheritance.
I looked at Harold.
"So my uncle can't legally take the money."
"Not alone."
"Who has the other half?"
He pointed at me.
"You."
"And Emily."
"Exactly."
Rosa found another document.
A trust agreement.
The beneficiaries were named.
Edward Calloway.
Emily Calloway.
The agreement had one condition.
The money could not be accessed by either beneficiary without the other.
My uncle had spent decades trying to separate us.
I suddenly understood the entire operation.
They didn't need me dead.
They needed Emily controlled.
They needed me discredited.
Then they could manipulate her into signing everything away.
"Where is she?"
Robert looked at the security feed.
"There."
A warehouse.
Twenty miles away.
We drove.
This time we didn't split up.
Inside the warehouse, we found Emily tied to a chair.
My uncle stood behind her.
Charles Whittaker stood beside him.
Marcus stood near the door.
My uncle held the ledger.
"You finally understand."
I stepped forward.
"You killed my father."
He nodded.
"He chose to die."
"You murdered him."
"He refused to cooperate."
Emily cried.
"Don't listen to him."
My uncle pressed the ledger to his chest.
"Your father thought blood was stronger than money."
He laughed.
"He was wrong."
I looked at Charles.
"You're his lawyer."
"Was."
He lowered his eyes.
"Then why are you helping him?"
Charles said nothing.
Marcus answered.
"Because we all have something to lose."
I looked at the men.
Three traitors.
One family.
One ledger.
One fortune.
Then I noticed something.
The warehouse cameras.
Red recording lights.
I smiled.
My uncle noticed.
"What?"
I looked directly into one camera.
"You wanted evidence."
He narrowed his eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I lifted my phone.
"The whole room is being streamed."
Robert appeared on a monitor outside.
Federal investigators were listening.
Every word.
Every threat.
Every confession.
My uncle's expression changed.
"You're bluffing."
I shook my head.
"Check your phone."
He did.
Nothing.
Then his face went white.
Charles looked at Marcus.
Marcus stepped backward.
Rosa whispered:
"He's lying."
I looked at her.
"What?"
She pointed toward the warehouse ceiling.
"That camera is disconnected."
My heart sank.
The feed wasn't real.
It was a trick.
My uncle smiled.
"You really should have learned."
He raised his weapon.
Then another shot rang out.
But this time, my uncle dropped the gun.
Because someone behind him had fired first.
May you like
The shooter stepped into the light.
Vanessa.
